Chirped managed lasers (CMLs), such as distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and tunable distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) lasers, are commonly employed to transmit optical signals. For example, CMLs are currently employed in transceivers and transponders for telecom and datacom applications. However, CMLs have traditionally been limited to use in very short reach (<10-km) applications at 10 Gb/s. This limitation is due at least in part to the thermal chirp exhibited by CMLs.
Thermal chirp in CMLs degrades the low frequency response of CMLs, and degrades the low frequency cut off of the frequency response. As a result, CMLs generate pattern dependence, error floor, and/or poor mask margin.